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Diagnostic Accuracy of Computed Tomography Scan to Diagnose Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Patients Presenting with Thunderclap Headache

Received: 4 May 2019    Accepted: 11 June 2019    Published: 26 June 2019
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Abstract

Introduction: Thunderclap headache (TCH) is a severe headache that peaks within 60 seconds of onset. It’s an uncommon type of headache, but recognition and diagnosis are important because of the possibility of a serious underlying brain disorder. Severe headache has long been recognized as a signature feature of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Lumbar puncture (LP) has the advantage of picking up cases missed on computed tomography (CT) scan, owing to its ability to detect small bleeds directly from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). This study can help us in understanding the role of this modality for early diagnosis and therefore timely management of patients. Subject and methods:A retrospective cross-sectional study for a period of six months was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. A total of 189 patients presenting with TCH were included in this study. CT was performed on Toshiba Activion 16 slice CT scanner (Toshiba Medical Systems, Otawara, Japan). Presence of SAH was confirmed by CSF analysis after LP. Data were registered on proforma, then transferred to IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 20.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) for statistical analysis. Diagnostic accuracy of CT scan in detecting SAH was calculated. Stratification was done on age and sex to see the effect of these modifiers on outcome using chi square test; p≤0.05 was considered as significant. Results:The average age of the patients was 47.97±9.96 years. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of CT was 88%, 91.4%, 78.6%, and 95.5%, respectively while diagnostic accuracy of CT scan in the detection of SAH was 90.48%.Conclusion:This study concludes that CT is the preferred non-invasive approach for the majority of patients who present with suspected SAH.

Published in International Journal of Chinese Medicine (Volume 3, Issue 2)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijcm.20190302.11
Page(s) 17-21
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Thunderclap Headache, Subarachnoid Haemorrhage, Lumbar Puncture, Computed Tomography

References
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Sajan Lal, Bhesham Shahani, Maria Hassan, Ayub Mansoor, Reshma Sajan. (2019). Diagnostic Accuracy of Computed Tomography Scan to Diagnose Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Patients Presenting with Thunderclap Headache. International Journal of Chinese Medicine, 3(2), 17-21. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijcm.20190302.11

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    ACS Style

    Sajan Lal; Bhesham Shahani; Maria Hassan; Ayub Mansoor; Reshma Sajan. Diagnostic Accuracy of Computed Tomography Scan to Diagnose Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Patients Presenting with Thunderclap Headache. Int. J. Chin. Med. 2019, 3(2), 17-21. doi: 10.11648/j.ijcm.20190302.11

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    AMA Style

    Sajan Lal, Bhesham Shahani, Maria Hassan, Ayub Mansoor, Reshma Sajan. Diagnostic Accuracy of Computed Tomography Scan to Diagnose Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Patients Presenting with Thunderclap Headache. Int J Chin Med. 2019;3(2):17-21. doi: 10.11648/j.ijcm.20190302.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijcm.20190302.11,
      author = {Sajan Lal and Bhesham Shahani and Maria Hassan and Ayub Mansoor and Reshma Sajan},
      title = {Diagnostic Accuracy of Computed Tomography Scan to Diagnose Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Patients Presenting with Thunderclap Headache},
      journal = {International Journal of Chinese Medicine},
      volume = {3},
      number = {2},
      pages = {17-21},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijcm.20190302.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijcm.20190302.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijcm.20190302.11},
      abstract = {Introduction: Thunderclap headache (TCH) is a severe headache that peaks within 60 seconds of onset. It’s an uncommon type of headache, but recognition and diagnosis are important because of the possibility of a serious underlying brain disorder. Severe headache has long been recognized as a signature feature of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Lumbar puncture (LP) has the advantage of picking up cases missed on computed tomography (CT) scan, owing to its ability to detect small bleeds directly from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). This study can help us in understanding the role of this modality for early diagnosis and therefore timely management of patients. Subject and methods:A retrospective cross-sectional study for a period of six months was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. A total of 189 patients presenting with TCH were included in this study. CT was performed on Toshiba Activion 16 slice CT scanner (Toshiba Medical Systems, Otawara, Japan). Presence of SAH was confirmed by CSF analysis after LP. Data were registered on proforma, then transferred to IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 20.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) for statistical analysis. Diagnostic accuracy of CT scan in detecting SAH was calculated. Stratification was done on age and sex to see the effect of these modifiers on outcome using chi square test; p≤0.05 was considered as significant. Results:The average age of the patients was 47.97±9.96 years. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of CT was 88%, 91.4%, 78.6%, and 95.5%, respectively while diagnostic accuracy of CT scan in the detection of SAH was 90.48%.Conclusion:This study concludes that CT is the preferred non-invasive approach for the majority of patients who present with suspected SAH.},
     year = {2019}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Diagnostic Accuracy of Computed Tomography Scan to Diagnose Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Patients Presenting with Thunderclap Headache
    AU  - Sajan Lal
    AU  - Bhesham Shahani
    AU  - Maria Hassan
    AU  - Ayub Mansoor
    AU  - Reshma Sajan
    Y1  - 2019/06/26
    PY  - 2019
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijcm.20190302.11
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ijcm.20190302.11
    T2  - International Journal of Chinese Medicine
    JF  - International Journal of Chinese Medicine
    JO  - International Journal of Chinese Medicine
    SP  - 17
    EP  - 21
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2578-9473
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijcm.20190302.11
    AB  - Introduction: Thunderclap headache (TCH) is a severe headache that peaks within 60 seconds of onset. It’s an uncommon type of headache, but recognition and diagnosis are important because of the possibility of a serious underlying brain disorder. Severe headache has long been recognized as a signature feature of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Lumbar puncture (LP) has the advantage of picking up cases missed on computed tomography (CT) scan, owing to its ability to detect small bleeds directly from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). This study can help us in understanding the role of this modality for early diagnosis and therefore timely management of patients. Subject and methods:A retrospective cross-sectional study for a period of six months was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. A total of 189 patients presenting with TCH were included in this study. CT was performed on Toshiba Activion 16 slice CT scanner (Toshiba Medical Systems, Otawara, Japan). Presence of SAH was confirmed by CSF analysis after LP. Data were registered on proforma, then transferred to IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 20.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) for statistical analysis. Diagnostic accuracy of CT scan in detecting SAH was calculated. Stratification was done on age and sex to see the effect of these modifiers on outcome using chi square test; p≤0.05 was considered as significant. Results:The average age of the patients was 47.97±9.96 years. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of CT was 88%, 91.4%, 78.6%, and 95.5%, respectively while diagnostic accuracy of CT scan in the detection of SAH was 90.48%.Conclusion:This study concludes that CT is the preferred non-invasive approach for the majority of patients who present with suspected SAH.
    VL  - 3
    IS  - 2
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Department of Radiology, Dr Ziauddin Hospital, Clifton, Karachi, Pakistan

  • Department of Radiology, Dr Ziauddin Hospital, Clifton, Karachi, Pakistan

  • Department of Radiology, Dr Ziauddin Hospital, Clifton, Karachi, Pakistan

  • Department of Radiology, Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan

  • Department of Gynaecology and obstetrics, Civil Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan

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